# Recursive vs Sumaddle

The clearest difference is price: Sumaddle at Free against Recursive's $2.99. Sumaddle also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 71%) and ratings volume (769 vs 28). Recursive's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Sumaddle is free to download; Recursive costs $2.99 up front. Recursive sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Sumaddle sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Recursive against 4.9 for Sumaddle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sumaddle has 769 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Recursive's written reviews are positive against 95% of Sumaddle's.

Recursive ships an update every 4 days, Sumaddle every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Recursive | Sumaddle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.9 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursive-programming-puzzles/id1550504475/reviews) | **[4.9 (769 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumaddle/id1552172214/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 28 | **769** |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | **94.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 4 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kidori](https://appshunter.io/developer/1550451304) | [Jonathan Buchanan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1540556286) |

## What reviewers say

### Recursive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursive-programming-puzzles/id1550504475)

A challenging puzzle game where you guide robots to collect gems by creating simple programs. Master recursion and logic with a minimalistic, easy-to-learn language and diverse level elements.

**Highlights:** Learn a simple programming language, Solve puzzles with robots and gems, Master recursion concepts, Explore diverse level elements, Challenging, hard puzzles

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 hint credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 20 hint credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| 40 hint credits | $2.99 | one-time |


### Sumaddle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumaddle/id1552172214)

This logic puzzle game transforms pencil-and-paper challenges into interactive brain teasers. Fit number combinations to clues using pure logic, with no mental arithmetic required. Enjoy over 150 free puzzles of varying difficulty, with built-in help and offline play.

**Highlights:** Interactive logic puzzles, Number combination fitting, Pure logic solving, Built-in help and mistake correction, Over 150 free puzzles, Offline play, Ad-free experience

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quirky, Pack 5 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Very Difficult Puzzles | $0.99 | one-time |
| Quirky, Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Premium 9x9 Puzzles, Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Crafty, Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Crafty, Pack 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Crafty, Pack 3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sneaky, Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sneaky, Pack 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sneaky, Pack 3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tricky, Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tricky, Pack 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tricky, Pack 3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Assorted Puzzles | $0.99 | one-time |
| Puzzle Generator | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and challenging game
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 👍 Helpful hint system
- 🚀 No ads or data collection
- 💡 Unique puzzle concept

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Automatic hints can be intrusive
- 🐛 Inability to replay completed puzzles
- 💡 Need more free/sample puzzles
- 💡 Difficulty progression could be improved

**Reported bugs**

- Losing progress when minimizing the app
- Inconsistent difficulty ratings

**Requested features**

- Ability to selectively pencil in notes
- More difficult puzzle options
- Synced progress across devices
- Detailed statistics and leaderboard


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Recursive free?

Recursive costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Sumaddle free?

Sumaddle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Recursive or Sumaddle?

Sumaddle is rated higher. Recursive averages 4.9 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Sumaddle averages 4.9 from 769 ratings.

### Do Recursive or Sumaddle have ads?

Neither Recursive nor Sumaddle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Recursive or Sumaddle?

Recursive ships an update every 4 days, and Sumaddle every 3 weeks. Most recently, Recursive was updated on October 29, 2026 and Sumaddle on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*